Wide lead mechanical pencil



DejcQZS, 1943. c. c. HARRl ET-AL 2,338,068

WIDE LEAD MECHANICAL PENCIL Filed Dec. 26, 1942 9 a |nvenTors. 7 g g g; Curl C.Hc\rris IIIIIIIIIIIII IC Li -On T Bus 8 811.

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Patented Dec. 28, 1943 WIDE LEAD MECHANICAL PENCIL Carl C. Harris and Linto assignors to said Harris Mass.,

nT. Bassett, Orange,

Application December 26, 1942, Serial No. 470,146 Claims. (01. 120-,-18)

This invention relates to improvements in mechanical pencils having a wide relatively narrow marking element of suitablematerial, such as the lead of a carpenterspencil, crayon, or other suitable marking composition.

Oneof the objects of the invention is to provide a pencil of this character having a tubular casing of any suitable material and of considerably greater width than thickness having at one end means for guiding the marking element with a propelling device slidably mounted in the easing and prevented from rotation therein by the contour of the casing which is adapted to be inserted into or withdrawn from the opposite open end of the casing.

More specifically the object of the invention is to provide a pencil having a flat wide relatively thin marking element-mounted in a rectangular tubular casing of relatively greater width than thickness converging at one end and having an opening to fit the marking element and containing a rectangular propelling device slidably fitting within the tubular casing adapted to be inserted or withdrawn from the open end, with manually operable means for adjusting the marking element lengthwise of the casing, and releasable means for normally retaining the propelling device within the casing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanical pencil of the character described in which the propelling means comprises a nut and a screw therefor having an enlarged head adapted to be manipulated to advance and/or retract the lead, with means for retaining the propelling device within the casing.

[A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanical pencil of the type described having a swinging locking device adapted detachably to engage the head of the propelling screw.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pencil of the character described in which resilient means are provided for retaining the head of the propelling screw in releasable locking engagement with the means for retaining the propelling device within the casing. Another object of the invention is to provide the propelling mechanism with a socket having means resiliently to engage the end portion of the marking element and means to prevent it from being forced through the socket when in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pencil of the character described having a wide relatively thin rectangular tubular casing with a novel clip for retaining the pencil in a pocket.

These and otherobjects and features of the side of the marking element.

invention will appear morefully from thefollowing description and the accompanying drawing andwill be particularly pointed out in the claims;

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,, i r

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a pencil embodying the invention, the propelling device and part of the lead being shown in dotted lines, and the locking device illustrated in normal position in full lines and in releasable position in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a perspectivew view of th'epropelling device with the marking element mounted'there- Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the open end portion of the casing, the screw of the propelling device showing in section the manner in which the head of the screw is yieldingly held in engagement with the retaining mechanism; and,

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional View on 'line 4-4 Fig.1; and, I

Fig. 5 is an enlargeddetail view of'amodified form of socket member illustrating indotted lines the marking element inserted and held therein by resilient means.

The preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the drawing comprises a mechanical pencil having a tubular barrelor'casing I having uniformly thin walls, preferably of rectangular cross section of considerably greater width than thickness and of any desired length, having a convergingly tapered end 2 provided with a preferably rectangular outlet 3 tofit a lead or other marking element 4. The casing is provided with anopen oppositeend 5 through whichthe marking element and a propelling elenient mayhemserted or from which it can be withdrawn. u fI he propelling mechanism for the marking element comprises a frame having at one 'end'a preferably rectangular socket member 6' of such width and thickness as slidably to fit within and be guided by the casing and the socket of which desirably is slightly tapered to prevent the lead from being forced therethrough whne' in use.

A modified socket construction is illustrated in'detail in Fig. 5' in which the rectangular holder for the end of the marking element is "formed of resilient material with parallel slits extending inwardly from the inner end of one wideflat side and the material intermediate of the slits bent inwardly to form a tongue 6a to engage the The. upper end of the materialis bent downwardly to form a.

flange 6b to-provide an abutment to engage'the 2 end of the marking element when inserted therein. By reason of this construction the marking element can be either propelled or repelled.

Side bars or rods I, which are suitably connected to the socket member, are connected at their opposite ends to a nut 8 having a centrally screw threaded aperture in which a screw 9 is rotatably mounted. The opposite end of the screw 9 desirably is provided with a rotatable head In of considerably greater diameter than that of the screw and preferably has a knurled surface to enable it to be readily rotated by the operator. 7

The head I is secured to the end of the screw in any suitable manner as by a cross pin II and is provided with a tubular portion I2 adapted to be slidably mounted in a socket formed extending inwardly from the end of the casing, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

, Desirably the end of the casing is provided with a countersink I4 to receive a part of said head. A spiral spring I5, which is mounted in the tubular extension I2 of the nut, extends beyond it and is seated upon the bases I6 of the recesses I3.

Suitable means are provided for releasably retaining the propelling means and the marking element in the casing. In the preferred construction illustrated the means comprises a yokeshaped member H the arms I8 and I9 of which extend in parallelism with the narrower sides of the casing and have inwardly turned ends 20 pivotally mounted in the sides of the casing. Desirably, but not necessarily, the central portion of the yoke I1 is provided with a curved extension 2| adapted to seat in a complementary depression or socket in the outer face of the head. The yoke desirably is provided with an outwardly extending portion 22, preferably of circular contour, provided with a circular aperture 23 by means of which the pencil may be suspended from a suitable support. When the yoke is positioned in engagement with the head of the propelling mechanism, as illustrated in full lines in the drawing, the yoke serves to retain the propelling mechanism properly in place in the easing. When it is desired to remove the marking element and its propelling mechanism the yoke is swung into the dotted line position illustrated in Fig. 1 so that the propelling mechanism and marking element can be withdrawn from the casing.

When it is desired to assemble the pencil the marking element I is introduced into the socket 6,1 as illustrated in Fig. 2. The marking element and propelling mechanism is then inserted lengthwise into the casing until the tubular portion I2 enters the socket I3 and the free end of the spring engages the base I6 of the recess in the casing. The yoke is then swung into axial alinement with the casing thereby forcing the nut inwardly and compressing the spring and locking the propelling mechanism and marking element against withdrawal. As the marking element is worn the head I!) may be rotated in a proper direction to extend the end of the marking element beyond the outlet 3 a desired distance. The marking element may be firmly seated in the socket member 6 so that rotation of the head in the opposite direction will withdraw the lead into the casing.

' A further feature of the invention comprises a novel clip for retaining-the pencil in the pocket. 'As illustrated herein this clip comprises a resilient Wire bent centrally of its length into the form of a narrow loop 24 having an upturned end and a convexly upwardly bent central portion 25. The end portions 26 of the member 25 are bent outwardly in parallelism with and in engagement with the flat surface of the broad side of the casing and then bent downwardly to provide a portion 21 engaging the side walls of the casing, then bent at right angles to provide end portions 28 which extend in substantial parallelism with the narrow walls of the casing with the ends thereof bent inwardly and seated in the narrow walls of the casing.

By reason of this construction the holding portion of the clip is retained resiliently in contact with the wide flat face of the casing.

It will be understood that the tubular casing may be formed of any suitable material, such as aluminum, sheet metal, or suitable plastic material, of rectangular tubular form, or may be made in the form of a tube of elliptical or other cross section in which the width of the tube is considerably greater than the thickness or depth thereof. By reason of this construction the greater width of the propelling element then that of its thickness when slidably fitting within the tube will be prevented from rotation within the tube so that th screw when operated will propel it longitudinally of the casing in axial alinement therewith.

Any suitable marking element may be provided, such as a lead commonly used in carpenters pencils, or a crayon, or any other suitable form of markin element in which the width thereof is considerably greater than the thickness.

A wide lead pencil of this character is of greater rigidity than a usual wooden carpenters pencil. New marking elements can be readily substituted for worn ones so that considerable saving will be made in the cost of replacement. By reason of the capability of removal of the propelling mechanism the marking element can be more readily assembled'than if the marking element were otherwise required to be inserted through the outlet end of the casing. Numerous other advantages are obtained from the present construction which will be readily recognized by those skilled in the art. It is to be understood that the particular embodiment of the invention as shown and described herein is of an illustrative character and is not restrictive of the meaning and scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A mechanical pencil having a wide rela-' tively thin marking element comprising a tubular casing having uniformly thin walls and of con-' siderably greater width than thickness having an open end and an opposite end portion provided with an outlet adapted closely to fit said marking element, a propelling device slidably mounted in said tubular casing and prevented from rotation therein by the contour of said casing adapted to be inserted into or withdrawn from said open end, manually operable means for adjusting said propelling device lengthwise in said casing, and pivotally mounted releasable locking means normally overlying and retaining said propelling device within said casing.

2.. A mechanical pencil having a flat Wide relatively thin marking element comprising a rectangular tubular casing having uniformly thin walls of relatively greater width than thickness having an open end with the opposite end portion of said casing providedfwith a rectangular outlet adapted closely to fit said marking element, a rectangular propelling device sli'dably fitting within and guided by the w'allsof said tubular casing adapted to be inserted into or withdrawn from said open end with resilient means to engage said marking element, and inanuaily operable means for adjusting said element lengthwise in said casing, "and pivotally mounted releasable locking means normally overlying and retaining said propelling device within said casing.

3. A mechanical pencil having a Wide relatively thin marking element comprising a tubular casing having uniformly thin walls of relatively greater width than thickness having an open end and an opposite end portion providing an outlet adapted closely to fit the marking element, a propelling devic slidably fitting within and guided by the walls of said casing adapted to be inserted or withdrawn from the open end of said casing and having at one end means to engage the end of the marking element and provided at the other end with a nut, a screw engaging said nut having an enlarged head rotatably mounted upon the walls of the open end of said casing, and a pivotally mounted locking member normally overlying and engaging the head of said screw and retaining said propelling device in said casmg.

4. A mechanical pencil having a wide relatively thin marking element comprising'a tubular casing of relatively greater width than thickness having an open end and an opposite end portion providing an outlet adapted closely to fit the marking element, a propelling and repelling device slidably fitting within and guided by the walls of said casing adapted to be inserted or withdrawn from the open end of said casing having a socket provided with a resilient tongue to engage and hold the end portion of the marking element and having means to prevent theend of the marking element from being forced through said socket when in use, manually operable means for adjusting said propelling device lengthwise of said casing and releasable means normally retaining said propelling device within said casing. v

5. A mechanical pencil having a wide relatively thin marking element comprising a tubular casing of relatively greater width than thickness having an open end provided with a central socket and a convergingly tapered opposite end portion providing, an outlet adapted closely to fit the markingelement, a propelling device slidably fitting within said casing adapted to be inserted or withdrawn from the open end of; said casing and having means to engage the end of the marking element and provided with a nut having a screw mounted therein, a head fixedly secured to the remote end of said screw provided with a tubular'section adapted to seat in said socket, a springfiprojecting from said tubular section engaging the base of said socket, and a retaining member mounted on said casing adapted to engage said head and compress said spring sufliciently to lock said propelling device in said casing.

6. A mechanical pencil having a wide relatively thin marking element comprising a tubular casing of relatively greater width than thickness having an open end with central recesses I in two opposite walls of said end and a convergingly tapered opposite end portion providing an outlet 3 adapted closely to fit the marking element, a. propelling device sli'dably fitting within said casing adapted to be inserted or withdrawn from the open end of said casing and havingmeans' to engage the end of the marking element and provided with a nut having a screw mounted therein, a head fixedly secured to the remote end of said screw having at one end a central depression and provided with a tubular section adapted to seat in said recesses, a spring within and projecting from said tubular section engaging the bases of said recesses, and a locking yoke having its ends pivoted to the sides of said casing at a distance from the open end thereof provided with means to engage the depression in said head and operable when in engagement therewith to compress said spring and normally lock the propelling device in said casing.

7. A mechanical pencil having a wide relatively thin marking element comprising a tubular casing of relatively greater width than thickness having an open end with central recesses in two opposite walls of said end and a convergingly tapered opposite end portion providing an outlet adapted closely to fit the marking element, a propelling device mounted in said casing having at one end a holder to receive the end of the marking element, side bars engaging the walls of the casing, a nut connecting the opposite ends of said bars, a screw mounted in said nut having at its opposite end an enlarged head having means to engage the recesses in the open end of said casing, resilient means between said head and the bases of said recesses, a retaining member having arms pivotally mounted on the narrow sides of said casing at a distance from the open end thereof, and means connecting said arms adapted to be swung over the open end of said casing and by engagement with the yieldably mounted head of the screw normally to lock the propelling device in the casing.

8. A mechanical pencil comprising a tubular casing having an open end and an opposite end portion provided with an outlet adapted closely to fit and guide a marking element, a propelling device slidably mounted in said casing, adapted to be inserted into or withdrawn from said open end, having means to engage the marking element and provided with a nut, a screw engaging said nut extending beyond the end of the casing and provided with a large head for rotating said screw, a spring interposed between said casing and said head, and releasable locking means mounted on said casing normally engaging said head and holding said spring under compression.

9. A mechanical pencil having a wide relatively thin marking element comprising a tubular casing having uniformly thin walls and of greater width than thickness having an open end and a convergingly tapered opposite end portion provided with an outlet closely to fit the marking element, a propelling device slidably mounted within said casing and guided thereby having means to engage the marking element and provided with a nut, a propelling screw mounted in said nut provided at its opposite end with a head having an enlarged portion extending beyond the open end of said casing, a spring interposed between said head and the end of said casing, and a pivotally mounted yoke normally overlying said head releasably holding it against the action of said spring.

10. A mechanical lead pencil having a wide relatively thin marking element comprising a rectangular tubular casing of relatively greater width than thickness having an open end and an opposite end portion adapted to fit and guide the marking element, a propelling device slidably mounted in said casing having side bars engaging the narrow walls of the casing and provided at one end with a socket having means to engage the end of the marking element and at its opposite end a nut, a screw mounted in said nut extending through and beyond the end of the casing provided with an enlarged head, a spring 10 interposed between the end of the casing and the head of the screw, and a yoke normally overe lying and engaging said head having arms pi":- otally mounted in the narrow side walls of the casing and of such length as to compress said spring when the yoke is in engagement with the head of the screw and lock the propelling means against removal.

CARL C. HARRIS. LINTON T. BASSETL 

